The Weekly Digest (February 4, 2024)
Happy Super Bowl bye week, Brionies!
It’s our understanding that many of you reading today’s Digest are freshly minted San Francisco Republicans. If this is you, welcome! The Briones Society Weekly Digest is your one-stop shop for insightful and opinionated commentary about local politics, happenings around town, action items, and interesting events.
Here’s what you need to know about San Francisco politics this week and beyond:
City Hall
Tuesday, February 6 at 2pm: Regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors (agenda and call-in instructions here)
Item 25 – State Senator Scott Weiner proposed a bill in the California legislature to remove San Francisco from “the coastal zone,” which would lower barriers to housing development. Your merry band of anti-housing progressives is now trying to pass a resolution opposing the bill (or, in their parlance, to ask for a housing “ceasefire”).
Thursday, February 8 at 10am: Regular meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee (agenda and call-in instructions here)
Item 2 – Hearing to address concerns regarding crime against Asian-American seniors and other vulnerable groups. Representatives from the Police Department, District Attorney’s Office, Human Rights Commission, and other agencies to provide statements.
Item 3 – Hearing on working conditions for women in the Police Department.
Item 4 – Hearing on the findings and recommendations made in the Human Trafficking in San Francisco 2021 Report.
Action items
Election day is just a month away: March 5! The Briones Society could use your help in spreading the word about our candidates for Republican County Central Committee (RCCC). Join our door-hanger distribution crew on February 9-16 by signing up here.
Confirm your voter registration here. Remember: only registered Republicans can vote in the RCCC race.
Happenings around town
Wednesday, February 7 at 6:30pm, Manny’s
Exit Interview with San Francisco City Controller Ben Rosenfield
Thursday, February 8 at 7:30pm, Manny’s
Fixing San Francisco’s Toughest Problems: Q&A with Mayor Breed, Moderated by Supervisor Engardio
Thursday, February 8 at 7pm, location upon RSVP
San Francisco Police Department Station Captain’s Community Meetings
Bayview Station, Tuesday, February 8, 5-6pm
Sunday, February 11 at 10am, Outer Sunset Farmers Market
What we’re reading
Taking inspiration from other countries on public policy can be a good thing, except when policymakers ignore cultural differences (e.g. removing public trash cans works in Japan; it does not in San Francisco) and adopt the attractive parts of a policy while ignoring the unpleasant ones. San Francisco has made both of these mistakes – and more – in its libertine approach to drug addiction and public drug use. On Wednesday, the New York Times published a devastating comparison between San Francisco and Portugal and their approaches to drug addiction and use. The whole article is worth your time, but we were especially struck by the contrasting views of harm reduction. Here’s Portugal: “Portugal has widely adopted some harm reduction measures, such as needle exchanges. But the government made getting people into treatment its top priority, particularly through dissuasion commissions … ‘What we want is to provide citizens a way to change their life, if they so wish,’ Dr. Goulão said.” Contrast that with this description of Michael Discepola, director of health access at the harm reduction program at San Francisco’s GLIDE: “his organization was fine with clients continuing to use drugs as long as they did so in a way that the group saw as safe. Abstinence is not always the correct goal, he argued.”
Willie Mays is not only the greatest Giant of all time, but he is likely the greatest to ever play professional baseball, and his impact extends beyond the diamond. In 1957, Mays was playing for the New York Giants and already a national star when the team decided to upgrade to the San Francisco Giants. Upon moving, Mays tried to buy a home on Miraloma Drive only to be denied because of the “whites-only” racial covenant. Thanks to pressure from the local NAACP and San Francisco’s last Republican mayor, George Christopher, Mays was ultimately able to buy the house. The ugly incident brought national attention to California’s racial housing covenants, and by 1963, California banned racial discrimination in housing. Beginning this year, February 4 shall be recognized as “Willie Mays Day,” a fitting addition to San Francisco’s celebration of Black History Month.
Quick hits
Moderate SF DCCC candidates outraising progressive incumbents 4-1
Mark Farrell Will Run To Be San Francisco's Mayor Again, Sources Say
This Bay Area school district spent $250,000 on “woke kindergarten.” Test scores fell even further
Outrageous—But Not Surprising The Times Square assault of two NYPD officers, and the release of several of the suspects, are predictable outcomes of destructive policies on migrants and public safety.
Palate cleanser
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See you next week,
The Briones Society